Manchester Life 2021 | Page 18

SERENDIPITY
heavily attended , but never on Sunday … She was a fast driver , and a good one : She famously once drove the family convertible at one hundred miles an hour , top down and hair streaming , down the mountain from Bromley …. She once drove 20 miles with her Nantucket scrimshaw purse on the roof of the station wagon - and upon finding it there , didn ’ t bat an eye .”
Mrs . Olcott was also a voracious reader – and was particularly fond of frontier adventures ( such as those by Zane Grey ) – which is no surprise given her early years with the Frontier Nursing Service .
An imposing presence at 6 ’ 0 tall , Mrs . Olcott was known by her family and friends as an elegant , strong , and exceptionally intelligent woman with a unique command of the English language and a wry sense of humor . On the long driveway at Glebelands , she posted a sign , “ Dust clouds draw shellfire .” For those who continued up the drive , a second sign stated , ” No Trespassing ! Trespassers will be shot . Survivors will be shot again !”
The Glebelands Estate
Mrs . Olcott ’ s tasteful enhancements to the home and gardens added new levels of prestige and distinction to the historic homestead .
The main house at Glebelands is a well-appointed and rustically-refined masterpiece . Perfectly blending timeless old-world aesthetic sensibilities with modern luxury amenities , the fourbedroom , five-and-a-half bathroom , 5,500 square foot house boasts a tastefully-decorated kitchen with Danby marble counters , several marble fireplaces , an elevator , and a spacious second floor with high ceilings . The second floor master suite features a
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